Athlete Of The Week: Mia Zimmerman

HARWICH – Freshman Mia Zimmerman’s skill powered a Monomoy field hockey offense that has been virtually unstoppable in their advance to another Div. 4 state tournament semifinal. 

Zimmerman notched three goals during the No. 1 Sharks’ 7-0 win over No. 8 Manchester Essex last Friday in the quarterfinals. She’s scored six goals this postseason.

“She's so agile and so quick, but she's versatile,” head coach Kyle Cappallo said.

Against Manchester Essex, Zimmerman scored near the end of the first quarter to put the Sharks ahead 2-0. To get her second of the night, she corralled a rebound shot by senior Sam Clarke that ricocheted to the weak side. At the back post, Zimmerman positioned her stick horizontally and dove forward, scooping the ball and throwing herself into the net. 

Throughout the match, Zimmerman deftly dribbled and weaved through Manchester Essex’s defense as if the ball was adhered to her stick with glue. And even when the ball did manage to separate from Zimmerman, she kept with the play, seemingly exerting a gravitational pull to continue the possession. 

Her third goal, for example, came after she broke up the right side of the field. The ball deflected to the middle, but Zimmerman followed and retrieved it, ripping a shot across her body from the top of the circle. She also displayed a backhanded spin among her bag of moves. 

Zimmerman is one contributor to a Monomoy attack that has been firing since the tournament’s start. The 25 total goals the Sharks have scored in the playoffs are the most they’ve had in a three-game stretch all season. 

“I think that the adrenaline and the confidence has been set pretty high for us,” Zimmerman said. “Our coach pushes us very hard, and we work together, and we support each other so much, and I think that's very valuable.”

As an eighth grader in 2024, Zimmerman emerged as a key piece to last year’s group that reached the tournament final for the second consecutive year. She finished as the team’s third-leading scorer. That play has continued this year, with Monomoy seeking to reach another state championship match. The Sharks had to work hard to get here, Zimmerman said.

“I'm lucky enough to be on this team,” she said. “This is only my second year on this team, but they definitely set the path for me, and I'm very grateful for that.”